But in yet another indication of just how brilliant Ricciardo’s first year at Red Bull has been, it is Vettel who is now calling for an end to the comparisons between the pair, claiming they are “unfair”.

The Australian has outperformed Vettel in qualifying on seven out of 11 occasions so far this F1 season.

Sebastian Vettel does not want to be compared to Daniel Ricciardo anymore.Source:Getty Images

Vettel secured only two podium positions, no pole positions, and retired from three races, while Ricciardo has won two GPs since making the switch from Toro Rosso.

Vettel sits in sixth place in the overall drivers’ standings, 43 points behind Ricciardo, who is third.

It is quite the contrast from last season, when Vettel had won four races by this stage as he coasted to a fourth straight title.

Vettel claims car troubles are to blame for his woes.

“First of all, I won’t argue that [Ricciardo] is doing a good job,” Vettel said ahead of this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix.

“On my side, I have had plenty of qualifying sessions where we had some sort of trouble. I don’t remember all of them, in terms of what the nature was, but we lost out many times because of that and in the races as well.

Meanwhile, Ricciardo did the ice bucket challenge.Source:Getty Images

“At some times it was obviously getting quite frustrating, but Formula 1 can be very nice and it can be very brutal as well by not giving you the chance to show what you can do. I’m not interested in comparing too much, because on my side it’s not fair to compare.

“Daniel has had a smoother year — I’m not saying perfect year because he’s also had some issues — but way less than I had, so it’s not entirely fair to compare. That’s why I won’t argue with that, he did a great job so far.”

While the Monaco Grand Prix, with its glittering harbour and gleaming yachts, is the most glitzy on the F1 circuit, the Spa GP is the longest and most demanding.

Nestling deep inside the Ardennes forest, the Spa track is 7km and tests drivers and tyres to the limit with its mixture of fast straights, dangerously fast turns and sweeping elevations followed by sharp descents.

“The height difference is so great that you always have the feeling of riding a roller coaster — especially in Eau Rouge,” said Vettel, who won here last year.

The location of the circuit and its huge size also means that it can be dark and rainy on one part of the track and sunny somewhere else — a unique microclimate in F1.

The 32-year-old Lotterer, a three-time Le Mans winner with Audi, finally gets a chance to impress in F1 after a brief spell as a test driver for Jaguar in 2001 and 2002.

“I’m ready for this challenge and I cannot wait to jump in the car,” he said. “I will need to get settled and used to the car quickly, as the team has worked on a number of updates.”

The Caterham team has yet to win a point this season. Swede Marcus Ericsson finished 11th at the Monaco GP in May, the team’s best result of the year.

3. SOCHI READY

The Russian GP is set to go ahead as scheduled in October after the track was passed fit after a visit by motorsport’s governing body.

The Autodrom in Sochi has been built on the site of the Winter Olympic Games, held earlier this year. The race is scheduled for October 10-12.

“The circuit is in extremely good condition and will be issued with a licence,” said Charlie Whiting, the FIA’s race director.

“The kerbs are very good, the verges, the guardrails, the walls — everything is in an extremely good condition. I can say without hesitation that the circuit is ready 60 days in advance, which is very rare really.”